A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe (22 page)

Life had forced them both below the surface where they’d had to face grim reality at a very young age. Something in his psyche must have recognized the depth of emotion in hers and they’d bonded on a soul-deep level. No wonder their lovemaking had been so intense.

With a bond that strong, how could he imagine hiding a whole section of his life from her? Yet he’d been doing it with everyone else for years, including his beloved Rosie. Maybe he was capable of living like that, and if so, she really was better off without him.

As the days passed with no word from her stubborn cowboy, she finally admitted to Rosie one day that they weren’t together anymore. Rosie didn’t look happy about that. Then she must have passed the word to the others, because Phil, Damon, Lexi and Cade came by the shop soon after.

Lexi and Phil each gave her a hug and whispered that Ty was an idiot. Cade and Damon didn’t say a whole lot, probably out of loyalty to their brother. But they ordered bigger cups of coffee than usual and left generous tips in the jar. At least losing Ty didn’t mean she’d lost the connection to everyone at Thunder Mountain, which was comforting.

Gradually she began to accept that she’d fallen for the wrong guy. Worse yet, they’d broken up during the holidays, a time of love and good cheer. She worked extra hard to catch the Christmas spirit because she loved this time of year and she’d be damned if Ty was going to spoil it for her.

But instead of catching the Christmas spirit, she caught a cold. As she sniffled her way through the last couple of days before leaving for Cheyenne, she looked forward to having her mom baby her with chicken soup and back rubs. The excitement of Thanksgiving weekend with Ty had convinced her that she’d have a joyous holiday this year. But apparently she was in for a crappy one.

18

T
Y
CONSIDERED
NOT
driving up to Sheridan for Christmas, but he’d promised Rosie, so here he was on Christmas Eve, almost at the turnoff to the ranch. Good thing Brant would be there. Ty could use some of Brant’s easygoing personality right now.

Brant wouldn’t pester him about the breakup. Brant didn’t even know Whitney, although knowing her wouldn’t have changed his attitude. He was strictly a live-and-let-live kind of guy.

If Ty had announced he’d found the perfect woman, Brant would have been happy for him. But if Ty mentioned the breakup while they were here, Brant would probably shrug and say there were more fish in the sea. He wasn’t into drama.

Rosie, on the other hand, was a worrier who believed each of her boys needed the love of a good woman. Until recently Ty had been happy to agree with her.

But in the past couple of weeks he’d had to face facts. He’d found a good woman and he’d had to let her go. He’d come closer to a commitment with Whitney than with anyone he’d dated, and that was why she’d started asking about his past.

What was more, she’d had every right to do that. So would anyone considering a serious relationship with him. For some reason he hadn’t figured that out before, but now he realized that ultimately his choice was between digging up his buried past or staying single.

Contemplating that crummy realization had put a real crimp in his holiday cheer. Worse, he missed Whitney with an ache that refused to go away no matter how hard he worked or how many games of racquetball he played with his office buddies. Thoughts of her, both the sexy kind and the sweet kind, popped into his head on a depressingly regular basis. He dreamed about her every damned night. In spite of himself, he lived for those dreams.

He arrived at the ranch house at dusk, after the Christmas lights running across the roofline had come on. The last time he’d seen those lights he’d been with Whitney on their way to a celebration.

She’d be in Cheyenne by now, which was a good thing. If she’d stayed in Sheridan for Christmas he might not have been able to keep from going over there. She wouldn’t have, though. Family was important to her and she’d be tucked into her old bedroom at her folks’ house tonight.

He’d be out in the cabin he and Brant used to share with a couple of other guys. The bunks and desks might be different, but the cabin still had the power to bring back memories, the kind he could deal with. Too bad those memories wouldn’t be enough to satisfy Whitney.

After parking his truck next to Brant’s, he headed for the house carrying his duffel and a large shopping bag full of gifts. Brant must have been watching for him because he came out in his shirtsleeves grinning like a little kid. Or a big kid. The expression
a bear of a man
fit Brant to a
T
.

He slung a beefy arm around Ty’s shoulders and hustled him into the house. “Mom will be happier than a puppy with a new chew toy when she lays eyes on you. We saw on the news there was a pileup on the highway. She tried calling your phone and when you didn’t answer, well, you know how she gets.”

“Didn’t hear the phone. What pileup?” His brain went on tilt. “Northbound or southbound?”

“Both. A tractor-trailer jackknifed north of Casper and with the roads being icy, it was a mess. You didn’t see anything?”

“Nope.” Dear God, was Whitney okay? “Must have happened after I drove through there.”
Please let her be okay
.

Brant chuckled. “You always were a lucky bastard.” He opened the door and ushered Ty through it. “Let the rejoicing begin! The honorable Tyrone Slater is in the building!”

“Thank God!” Rosie rushed out of the kitchen and hugged him so tight he almost dropped the bag of gifts. “Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

“Sorry. I can’t always hear it, especially if I have music on.”

Herb came over for his hug. “Glad you didn’t end up in that rodeo, son. I honestly hate to see anyone out driving on Christmas Eve. Seems like a recipe for disaster.”

“It sure is.” His foster mom twisted her wedding band, a definite sign she was nervous. “And I suppose you know Whitney was driving down to Cheyenne this afternoon.”

Brant looked puzzled. “Who’s Whitney? Do I know a Whitney?”

“She’s the manager of that new coffee shop, Rangeland Roasters and she’s the woman Ty...used to date.” Rosie turned her attention to him. “I know you two aren’t speaking, but if you still have her number, would you—”

“I was planning to call her after I unloaded my stuff.”

“Let me help.” Brant relieved him of the duffel and the bag of presents.

“Go into the rec room,” Rosie said. “Nobody else is here yet.”

“Thanks.” He unbuttoned his sheepskin coat as he walked through the kitchen and into the rec room. As usual, the pool table had been covered with a tablecloth and chairs were grouped around it in preparation for serving the Christmas Eve meal.

Telling himself that Whitney was fine, that she had to be fine, he pulled out his phone. But as he listened to hers ring, his chest tightened and his pulse rate shot up. When the call went to voice mail he swore. Then he took a quick breath and left a message. “Hey, it’s me. Call when you get this.”

After he disconnected he stood in the rec room, his eyes closed and his hands shaking. He couldn’t go back in the living room like that. She was probably fine. It was Christmas Eve. She might have turned off her phone so she could have uninterrupted time with her family.

All logical, but logic wasn’t working for him. What if she’d ended up in that crash? What if she was hurt, scared, cold or...no, he couldn’t even think about that or he’d lose it.

When his phone rang and her name popped up on the screen, the adrenaline rush was so strong he almost fumbled the call. “Whitney? Are you okay?”

She sounded hoarse. “I’m fine.”

She didn’t sound fine, but at least she sounded alive. “Have you been crying?”

“No, I have a cold. Why did you call?”

“Mom was worried. There was a big pileup near Casper and she asked me to make sure you weren’t in it.” He was such a damned coward. Couldn’t even admit he’d been in total panic mode.

“Yeah, I heard about that. I went through there before it happened.” She coughed. “Fortunately I was already here when it hit the news.”

“Good. So your parents didn’t have to worry.”

“No. Sorry Rosie did, though.” She coughed again. “Please tell her Merry Christmas for me. Herb, too, and anybody else who’s there.”

“I will. I’m sorry you’re sick.”

“Yeah, well, stuff happens, as they say. You’d better go report back to Rosie that I’m fine so she can stop worrying.”

“Right.”

“Listen, I need to go. They put
The Grinch
on pause so I could call you back. I don’t want to keep them waiting.”

“Okay.”

“’Bye.”

“Whitney, wait.”

“What?”

“Rosie was worried, but I... I was scared shitless. I had planned to call even before she asked me to. When you didn’t answer...” He blew out a breath. “I’m really glad you weren’t in that pileup.”

“Me, too.” She hesitated. “Merry Christmas, Ty.” And she disconnected.

He should have wished her a Merry Christmas, too, damn it. Taking a long, slow breath, he walked back into the living room to deliver the news.

* * *

T
Y
DID
HIS
BEST
to take part in the evening’s festivities. Lexi and Cade were at her parents’ house for Christmas Eve dinner, but Damon and Phil came to the ranch and brought Phil’s dad and her stepmother. Ty remembered hearing that Phil’s mom had died when she was little, and a few years ago her dad had finally remarried.

At the time Ty had learned about Phil’s mom he’d thought she was lucky because she’d been spared the intense grief of losing a mother she’d known for years. His thinking must be changing. When he looked at her now, he felt sorry that she’d never known her mother at all. Sure, she had her dad, but that wasn’t the same as having memories of both parents.

He’d been blessed with a terrific mother and father, even if he’d only had them the first fourteen years of his life. Then he’d been gifted with Rosie and Herb, and Rosie was a lot more maternal than Phil’s new stepmom. Maybe, just maybe, he was beginning to feel a little less sorry for himself.

Fortunately he didn’t have to make conversation during the meal. He appreciated that because he had some thinking to do about Whitney Jones.

Then Brant surprised them all with the news that he’d left his steady job at the ranch in Cody. He’d discovered that his talent for starting foals was in demand, and he’d decided to freelance. Ty paid more attention to that discussion.

He could picture his buddy becoming very successful. Brant’s sense of humor and calm acceptance of whatever came his way had a soothing effect on both mares and foals. Hell, Brant had a soothing effect on him.

In the first weeks of living at the ranch, Ty had been enraged by Brant’s unflappable nature. For Ty, who’d been spoiling for a fight, Brant had been a challenge because the guy wouldn’t respond to his taunts. Eventually Brant had invited him to throw a punch, and another and another.

Ty had laid into him and Brant had stood there taking it until Ty had worn himself out. Finally he’d realized that this huge guy who could have flattened him at any time wasn’t going to fight back. Humbled, he’d apologized for being a total asshole. They’d been close friends ever since.

After the evening wound down, Ty picked up his duffel, put on his coat and hat, and walked with Brant through the cold night to their cabin. Brant had been down earlier to turn on some lights and the baseboard heater. The place was nice and warm by the time they walked in.

It was late, so they quickly got ready for bed. The guys used to squabble about who got the top bunk, but the new loft beds gave everyone a top bunk. Brant had already claimed one on the left and Ty took the right side.

He settled down in the darkness as the familiar scent of wood and the whirr of the heater reminded him of when he’d lived at the ranch. “I think it’s great that you’re going to freelance,” he said.

Brant didn’t answer right away.

Ty decided he might be asleep, so he propped his hands behind his head. He had more thinking to do.

“Thanks,” Brant said.

“So you are awake.”

“Nope. I talk in my sleep now. It’s my new thing.”

Ty laughed. “Should be an interesting night. What kinds of things do you talk about?”

“Tonight I’ll probably talk about Tyrone Slater.”

“Oh, really?”

“I’ll speculate on why he was off in la-la land all through dinner.”

“I was hoping nobody noticed.”

“They probably didn’t, what with deciding on cake flavors and bridesmaid dresses and music selections.”

How like Brant to say something like that so he wouldn’t feel bad. “But you noticed.”

“I know Tyrone pretty damned well. Being quiet isn’t his usual setting.”

“I was thinking about Whitney.”

“I’m not surprised.” Brant’s tone became more serious, although with Brant serious didn’t usually last long. “When I mentioned the pileup you got all twitchy. I didn’t understand why until I heard about your ex being on that road.”

“I’m in love with her.” It was such a relief to say it.

“I figured that.”

“She’s in love with me, too.” That sounded really stupid. They loved each other and yet on Christmas Eve he was in one place and she was in another. “But I’m not the right guy for her.”

“You’d know that better than me.”

“She needs someone who can open up about his childhood. I’m not.” Oh, wasn’t he special? She’d had one request and he couldn’t manage it because he was too sensitive. Sheesh.

“That’s your prerogative, bro. You don’t have to spill your guts to anyone.”

“I know, but...”

“Hey, someone else will come along.”

“Not like her.”

“Maybe even better than her! Life’s full of surprises. Lots of fish in the sea. You never know.”

“Yes, I do, damn it. You can’t know because you’ve never met her, but she’s the best thing that ever happened to me and I was insane to let her go. She’s right about my parents, too. I need to talk about them. They were great. They deserve for people to know that. She deserves to know them.”